ABUJA, NIGERIA — Legal proceedings in the high-stakes suit filed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar seeking to disqualify President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from participating in the 2027 presidential election have been stalled following a procedural adjournment at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1888/2026 and filed alongside the African Democratic Congress (ADC), lists President Tinubu as the 1st Defendant, the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the 2nd Defendant, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the 3rd Defendant.
Hearing was delayed on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, as the court fixed September 28, 2026, for further proceedings to enable all parties to complete service of court processes and file required preliminary responses.
Core Substance of the Legal Challenge
The fresh legal battle—filed earlier in August after Atiku personally appeared at the Federal High Court registry to depose to a supporting affidavit—invokes Section 137(1)(j) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended):
-
Certificate Discrepancy Allegation: Atiku contends that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate submitted to INEC bears the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle”, which the plaintiffs argue differs from the President’s legal name, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
-
Constitutional Bar: The suit asserts that presenting an unverified or forged certificate to INEC serves as an absolute constitutional bar under Section 137(1)(j) against contesting for the Presidency.
-
Electoral Act Challenge: The plaintiffs are also asking the court to strike down provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 that limit pre-election qualification challenges, arguing that ordinary statutory acts cannot override explicit constitutional provisions.
“We are not asking Nigerians to decide this matter on social media, and we are not asking INEC to become a court. We are asking the institution holding the records to produce them and the judiciary to examine the evidence and pronounce on it.”
— Atiku Abubakar, Former Vice President & ADC Presidential Candidate
